Guatemala

One of the police escorts that spent the entire time with us, including guarding our hotel in Guatemala City while there.

View from the US Senior Defense Official's house; hard to see, but the mountains in the background are actually volcanoes to include the one that had erupted a few weeks before our arrival.  The SDO said he wakes up to morning eruptions spurting into the sky.

Presidential palace  Some classmates in the foreground.  Sam calls them typical dads with their polo shirts and sunglasses.

National cathedral

Santeria ceremony captured before one of the lady asked that no pictures be taken.

Journey abroad

Every CAPSTONE class (ours is the fourth of 2018 which is required by law for all new US general and flag officers) spends two weeks visiting other countries to learn about their issues and cooperation with the US government.  I chose the Western Hemisphere (WHEM) trip.  From 30 July to 10 August, we visited Guatemala, Peru, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.  This blog shares pictures from my journey and the captions include info shared by our guides (so it's quite possible some urban legends may be included!).  I hope you enjoy!